Total Eclipse of the Moon on 27 July 2018

New Zealanders are about to witness a rare celestial event – a selenelion. And what about other types of eclipses?

A Super Blue Blood Moon rises behind the Camlica Mosque on January 31, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The weekend’s lunar eclipse and blood moon offer Aussie stargazers a rare treat!

What is Total Lunar Eclipse?

“This is actually nearly as long as a lunar eclipse could be”, Prof Tim O’Brien, an astrophysicist at University of Manchester, explained.

“If that were true, we’d be in big trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our moon!” the NASA website states.

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is quite safe to look at with the naked eye.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind Earth, so that the Earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon.

Moon has no light of its own.

The wait will be long for the next total lunar eclipse in India.

Mr O’Brien explained how the moon turns a “dusky red” colour.

The Javascript Lunar Eclipse Explorer was developed by Chris O’Byrne and Fred Espenak.

The shadow of the Earth’s atmosphere filtered through sunlight appears red when it hits the surface of the Moon, giving the eerie-looking blood moon.

Here’s all you need to know about the chandra grahan.

Avoid eating cooked food – The popular belief is that during the eclipse, the food that you consume would not get digested properly – leaving you feeling bloated and lethargic.

The International Astronomical Center will organise an event on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, opposite Adnoc, at 8pm, which will include a talk on eclipses and visible planets that can be seen at this time of year.

“It starts with a partial eclipse at 7:24 p.m”.

Why will moon appear red during Total Lunar Eclipse? Steel says the next one for NZ is due in 2028.

Why will the eclipse last so long?

The best viewing conditions are likely to be out in the countryside, away from the light pollution emitted by the city.

The further south you are, the better your chance of seeing Saturday’s selenelion.

It coincides not only with Mars’s close approach, but with what he described as a “procession of planets” – a line-up of our celestial neighbours that will give skywatchers a particularly good view of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.

While there are innumerable misnomers and superstitions about the moon and its dark side, including the eclipse’s potential impact on the body and mind, none of them have any scientific corroboration till date.

“Most of the time, they’re obscured by the brightness, so again, it’s relatively unusual to have them both in the western sky where people can see them both”.